giveaway

The Competitive Edge giveaway

Greetings, happy early Memorial Day, and welcome to my giveaway to celebrate the release for The Competitive Edge! This is the second book in the Appetite series and I’m really excited to see it released.

It’s been six months since Alex became Sous Chef at Schulze’s, and in that time Alex has been working strenuously to improve and expand his skills, working toward the goal of becoming Nik’s equal. He is kept motivated by the occasional breakfast shared with Nik, flirting and talking and offering tender bites of his culinary creations.

But just as his hard work seems to be paying off, a new challenge is thrust upon him. Selected to be one of five challengers on a new cooking competition, Alex is quick to accept the offer, certain that winning will prove his abilities to Nik and everyone else.

Except that to win, he will have to beat not only a handful of strangers, but also Nik, thrusting them right back to the ruthless competition of their school days—and quite possibly ruining any hope of a future as lovers.

The Competitive Edge is available for pre-order for a couple days more at Less Than Three Press here. You can read an excerpt of the story, too, to whet your…er…anticipation.

The Appetite series is near and dear to my heart, because it marries my love of food, my love of guys being stupid over each other, and the personal growth they have to get through in order to be together.

The Giveaway:
To celebrate the release, I’m offering an e-book copy of The Competitive Edge to one lucky winner, chosen by random numbers selected by random.org from the comments of this entry. This is the e-book version, and I will send a copy in your preferred format; epub, HTML, mobi, PDF.

To enter, drop a comment (you MUST include an email or means of contact or I CANNOT count your entry). If you enter your email as part of submitting the comment, that counts. Comment between now and next Sunday, June 2nd. Winners will be chosen Monday morning.

To win additional chances to enter, you may do the following:

– Promote/share my Facebook post promoting Appetite’s release.
– Post a comment on my/your Facebook about the novel.
– Promote/share my Tumblr post promoting Appetite’s release.
– Like my Tumblr post regarding the release and get an additional chance!
– Retweet my author tweet on Twitter regarding the release.
– Become a fan on Goodreads.
– Leave a comment or make a post promoting the novel on your own social venue (any and all – WordPress, LJ, DW, blogspot, just link me so I can verify)

Basically, spread the word in any possible fashion and you can get an additional chance to win your own ebook copy of A Cut Above the Rest!

Many thanks, I appreciate your stopping by, and good luck with the giveaway. (And hey, if you’ve already pre-ordered, enter anyhow! You can always give a copy to a friend. ^_~)

Also, the blog tour begins tomorrow at The Armchair Reader, so join me for exclusive sneak peeks and bonus content all week!

Way to Your Heart Giveaways

Congratulations to Chichikao, winner of my giveaway for A Cut Above the Rest! I’ve contacted you via email.

Everyone else, thank you so much for participating, I’m going to go back through that post and answer your lovely comments. Meanwhile if you’re excited about foodie novels, I’m finishing up work on The Competitive Edge, and it’s coming out next month, May 29th.

In the meantime! If you didn’t win my giveaway, there’s still one beautiful blowout over at the Less Than Three Press blog:

They have some truly amazing prizes, and signups can still be made through Monday April 15th. So drop by and tell them what you love!

Manicure Monday: Butter London

Congratulations to Shayla Mist, winner of T.T. Kove’s Sakura Kiss giveaway! The author has emailed you. Enjoy, and thank you again to T.T. Kove for your generosity.

Today for Manicure Monday, I tap into the pretty lacquers that I wore a couple of weeks ago before I had to clip my nails.

This is Butter London Fash Pack layered as a reverse half-moon over Butter London Posh.

Thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget to sign up for my Way to Your Heart giveaway, which ends Friday.

The Way to Your Heart: Nail Polish!

First things first: today is the last day to sign up for T.T. Kove’s giveaway for her lovely seasonal romance, Sakura Kiss! She’ll be choosing a winner using the random number selector tomorrow.

Next up for my third post for the Way to Your Heart blog hop:

Another quick and easy way to my heart is to cater to one of my current serious obsessions: nail polish.

I used to be not much of a fan, actually, because of the smell – and the way it felt on my nails, like a coat of something that smothered them. Then companies started going 3, 4, and 5-free – harmful ingredients toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (dibutyl phthalate), formaldehyde resin, and camphor. And, I saw a fantastic shade of gray nail polish on Bill Kaulitz.

Office neutrals had never really interested me, but that edgy gray was like a whole world opening up to me. I found myself at the cosmetics counter getting Chanel Black Pearl and Dior Gris Montaigne. A couple of months later, I made it a workout reward, and wow, it was a full-on slide into its own obsession from there. Nail polish became its own reward! I started maintaining a nail polish tumbler: http://effyeahnailpolish.tumblr.com/

There was so much to do with polish and simple nail art that there hadn’t been when I’d done my nails when I was younger. It was like a fascinating new universe opening up to me, and the brands that didn’t have any harmful chemicals didn’t feel like they smothered my nails at all.

So, a bottle of nail polish in just the right color is a fast path to my heart. From those edgy grays I went to finding just the right hue in every shade across the spectrum, but far and away my favorites tend to be blues, teals, and greens though I have a serious weakness for a good nude, and holographic micro-glitter is one of my favorite things ever.

To show you some of what I love, here are six of my favorite manicures from the past year. It was hard to narrow them down to six, of course.

Illamasqua Fragile, the color I wore over Easter weekend.

A-England St. George with a scalloped ribbon of A-England Holy Grail – one of my fun “save a chipped tip” manicures, I featured this not too long ago for Manicure Monday.

Essie Butler Please – my perfect Tardis blue!

Chanel Quartz and Pixel Till I’m Blue Over You/China Glaze Snowglobe checkers. My first time doing a checker manicure, and I still need to do this again! So much fun, and so pretty.

Sephora by OPI Traffic Stopper Copper over sponged half-gradient of Brisbane Bronze over Essie Sand Tropez. This one was inspired by something I reblogged on Tumblr, though I used different colors and a bronze under the glitter. I loved the way it turned out.

Chanel Delight, the most gorgeous finely-milled bronzy coppery gold with a micro-glitter almost holographic spark to it.

And to sign off, don’t forget to check my giveaway post, where I offer a free copy of A Cut Above the Rest (or anything from my back catalogue, if you already have that).

Have a great week, and may your polish dry quickly and smudge-free!

The Way to Your Heart: Food!

It will be no surprise to anyone who’s followed me for any length of time that food, in particular, is one of my delights and passions.

My entries for “The Way to Your Heart” Blog Hop continue with today’s topic: food!

Tip – don’t forget to check out Less Than Three Press‘s entry, because they have some smashing things to give away!

I love to cook, to eat, and to watch many shows about cooking! I’m always looking for new recipes to try, from the Living section of the newspaper to the blogs that I frequent, or even recipes reblogged on Tumblr.

Today, I ate a clam and asparagus risotto that I made for lunch, and watched Top Chef season 9 while finishing up edits on The Competitive Edge. After work, I made a beef ribeye roast with a merlot-mushroom reduction sauce, broccoli, and oven-roasted potatoes for dinner (and watched more Top Chef).

And tomorrow, we’re going to La Capitale for lunch before I get quite the haircut.

Food was a big part of my life growing up, and it’s become even bigger now that I’m an adult. Sometimes I wonder, if things had been a little different, whether I might have become a chef! I think I have a lot of the qualities that I see in those competitive chefs that I so admire.

My relationship with food has … not exactly changed, but shifted a lot since I joined up with Weight Watchers four years ago. I like to think I’ve entered a permanently healthier relationship with food, and it’s definitely paid off – I’ve lost 55 pounds and counting. I’m still as actively interested in finding new recipes and cooking delicious food. Now, though, it’s important to find a balance within the quantity of food I’m eating in any given day, and making sure to abide by good health guidelines.

The purpose of this entry isn’t to proselytize for any lifestyle or eating habit changes – I’m also a big believer that you have to want to make a change, and be individually responsible for it yourself. Sharing this background is more meant to express how important the shift in my relationship to food has been for me personally.

To sum it up, food is definitely and incontrovertibly one of the ways to my heart!

To celebrate my love for food, I’m offering an ebook copy of my book, A Cut Above the Rest, or your choice of a book from my back catalogue if you already have that, in the format of your choice – html, pdf, mobi, or epub.

And to sign up, all you have to do this time is comment! With a valid email address, please, so that I can contact you. And let me know what you thought about the entry, if you would! Giveaway closes next Friday, April 12th. Good luck, and may your meals be ever tasty and piping hot!

Guest Post and Giveaway: T. T. Kove

Good evening, readers! Tonight we have a guest post from the lovely T.T. Kove, who has a brand new release I think you’re going to want to check out! See what she has to say about Sakura Kiss, and stick with us for details about the giveaway at the end.

Armas wanted to start over in a new country, with new people, something he achieved by moving to Japan. In the beginning of the book, he is severely depressed and nothing really interest him, except for one thing: the cherry blossom trees.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Japan, except the hot, Asian men, is the cherry blossom trees. They’re beautiful with their pink flowers and I could very well go to Japan simply to watch them.

I have seen one such tree here in Norway, back in my hometown. It doesn’t bloom often, but when it does it is simply striking to look at. I think this trees are quite fascinating, and that has bled into Armas in this book. Watching the cherry blossom trees calms him down and gives him just a sliver of peace for a little while.

*** THE BOOK ***

Sakura Kiss

Memories of a brutal attack have left Armas afraid—of people, of intimacy, of admitting his sexuality. But shortly after arriving in Tokyo on business, he ventures out for a drink … and wakes up in the morning in a strange hotel room after a night he can only vaguely remember, though all his memories are surprisingly sweet. In a panic he flees, determined to leave the whole night behind him and get back to a life that is comfortable, familiar. His plans are ruined when his one night stand proves to be the CEO of the company that has brought him to Tokyo, and a man determined to help Armas overcome the dark in which he’s living.

Buy at Less Than Three Press.

Takeo drove to the studio, taking every shortcut he could think of, but when he walked inside, Armas Takala was nowhere in sight. His flamboyant secretary was there though; her bright clothes practically lighting up the studio, the few others still there paled in comparison.
He walked over to her. “Hashimoto Aya-san,” he spoke.

“Huh?” She turned around with a curious expression on her face. “Sawada-sama!” She squeaked when she saw him, then covered her mouth with her hand and bent her head slightly. “I’m sorry. Good afternoon, sir. What can I help you with?”

“You can tell me where Armas Takala is. I need to speak with him.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but sensei already went home.” She looked up at him apologetically.

“To the hotel?” That was also in the file; the company were paying for it, after all. “I’ll go there then.”

“Oh, well, he might not be there.” She worried her lower lip thoughtfully. “He asked me about sakura trees today and which place was best for seeing them up close.”

“And where would that be?” Takeo stared at her.

“Shinjuku Park and Uedo Park,” she replied. “It sounded like he was going there. To one of those, that is.”

“Alright. Thank you for your help.”

Takeo exited the building again. He sighed when he settled into his car. Should he really go to the parks? Wouldn’t that make him some sort of desperate stalker or something? But on the other hand, he really needed to see Armas, to talk to him.

But which park? He wondered. His eyes locked on the clock on the dashboard, and that decided it for him. Shinjuku Park would be closed, besides, it cost money to get into that one, while Uedo Park had no entrance fee and was open at all hours.

*** THE GIVEAWAY ***

I will be giving away one copy of Sakura Kiss to a lucky commenter. All you have to do is comment with a valid e-mail address and your preferred ebook format. The giveaway ends Sunday April 7th, and the winner will be chosen using random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

The Way to Your Heart: Books!

It’s the fourth birthday for Less Than Three Press, and there are so many wonderful ways to celebrate!

I first submitted to Less Than Three Press during a very emotional, difficult time: my grandfather passed away, and for as long as he’d known I was a writer, he asked every time I saw him if I was getting anything published yet. And for all that time, I continually put him off because my interest was in writing m/m erotica, so there was nothing I could share with my family, or submit to mainstream publishers like Random House.

When he died, it was a serious kick in the pants. All that time, I kept putting it off, and what the hell for?

After confusedly posting this story of my grandfather and how he’d always encouraged me to get published, the lovely Megan dropped me a comment inviting me to contact her about getting published, and said “I think I can help you with that.”

And, oh, wow, did she ever! Not three months later, I was signing contracts and prepping manuscripts for final submission.

My grandpa didn’t live to see the dedication on my novel, From the Inside Out, but he’s still with me, and I’ll never forget what he did for me.

And I’ll never forget what Less Than Three Press and their lovely ladies have done for me, either.

That brings me around, in a roundabout fashion, to the blog tour at last. From April 1st to April 14, assorted authors and associates are hosting entries and giveaways around the theme “the way to your heart.” What’s the way to my heart? I could probably write a half dozen entries…

Today, I’m writing about books.

I became hooked on the printed word when I was ten years old, and discovered a fluent grasp of sustained silent reading. I went eagerly through everything intended for my age group, then kept going. At eleven, I had a vocabulary that was intimidating to my mom and step-father.

Books were my friends, my companion, my escape.

They became a hobby, a passion, a lifelong obsession. I’d go to the corner bookstore across the street and spend hours browsing the shelves, reading summaries and inside cover excerpts, flipping through pages and deciding what was amazing enough to buy with my hard-earned pocket money.

Growing up, my biggest ambition was to be a writer – an author. Such an amazing, lofty goal! The most compelling and incredible thing, to me, was to be capable of creating worlds and characters that people wanted to lose themselves with, the same way I’d done (still do) with the books I became immersed in, myself.

Today I’m going to link you to the Less Than Three giveaways that feature a book. And Friday, I’ll be offering one of your choice from my current catalogue of e-books. Enjoy so many chances to win something I hold dear to my heart!

Megan Derr
Sasha Miller
Julia Alaric
Isabella Carter
Alessandra Ebulu
T. T. Kove
Lacie Archer
E. E. Ottoman
L.J. LaBarthe
M.J. Willow
Mell Eight

There’s more to come! I’ll be making a few more posts on the “way to your heart” theme, and come back on Friday for my giveaway!

Buy books, save money!

In honor of Sasha’s birthday:

Save 30% on any of your purchases from the Less Than Three Press book market, today only! I’m picking up some I’ve meant to read, there’s been so many exciting releases lately. And don’t forget, you can pick up Appetite: A Cut Above the Rest at a discount if you missed the pre-order price!

Don’t forget, there’s three days left to sign up for Casey K. Cox’s Finding King giveaway.

And if you need some gorgeous reading this week, I’ve read some of the Tea for Two stories and they are, simply put, amazing. You cannot get quality fiction such as this for free anywhere else! Enjoy the stories and leave the ladies some love.

So, what are your plans for the weekend? Partaking of any traditionally Easter activities? Over here, there’s a whole lot of editing going on. I’ve got to get The Competitive Edge edits incorporated and back to the editor, because I’m expecting the hard edit for The More Plausible Evil back any day now. Today, lamb burgers and oven fries; tomorrow, lamb roast and garlic potatoes with green side veg to be determined.

Will you be reading? Spring cleaning? Relaxing? Enjoy it, whatever you do!

Update to this morning’s post

My mistake: I was regrettably on my way out the door when I hurled this morning’s post at my blog in passing, at top speed, and missed a crucial detail.

There is a giveaway for Finding King – comment here and don’t miss your chance to win a copy of this brand-new release!

What can I say? We like to bring you all the swag.

Hope everyone’s having a great week. I’m in the middle of planning a Chicago foodie tour with a friend, we’re going in May and we’re already penning in all the amazing lunches and dinners we’re going to have.

Don’t forget to check out Tea for Two, as well. My choice tonight is Daunt’s “Forest Lovers” blend by Adagio Teas.

Guest Post and Giveaway: Casey K. Cox’s Finding King

Good morning readers! This morning, we have a guest post from Casey K. Cox discussing the exciting upcoming release, Finding King! I hope you enjoy this sneak peek at the space pirate novel that’s definitely on my list of books to check out.

Hello all, and thanks for tuning in to this stop on the Finding King blog tour. Finding King is the first installment in a new sci-fi trilogy The Breaker, published by Less Than Three Press. Each day sees a draw for a free copy of the book. I’m Casey K. Cox, and I’ll continue our look behind the scenes at CKC Muse HQ. Grab a coffee and settle in to this latest insight into The Breaker Series.

The crew of the Breaker started out as four young lads running away from a government-training program for unwanted kids. If you don’t have a future with your family on Rexalon, the government provides one for you. Jessie, Merrick, Taylor and Cooper, broke out of their training camp and stole an old cargo freighter that had been brought in to the workshop for spares. Over the years, the boys picked up stragglers around the quadrant and worked their way up stealing larger ships until the Breaker fell into their lap during a spot of R&R at a local Deport Station. With a military grade deep space starship, complete with two smaller cruisers, at their disposal the boys were able to expand their horizons and move out of the danger zone of recapture around the homeland territories. It wasn’t long before they discovered a small uninhabited planet they started using as a safe house and affectionately named the Rock.

In this excerpt we join the crew of the Breaker during a raid on a large freighter, The Den-Freight-Four…

Merrick led his men through the bowels of the newly acquired ship. It was clean and bright, a complete contrast to the Breaker. The corridors were smooth. A satin metallic sheen reflected the strip lights at ceiling and floor level. Even the air was sweet. Merrick could taste it through his supercharged skin sensors. The environment had been enriched with oxygen for the health of the passengers, and something else, hanging in the air. Something he couldn’t pin down, but it was familiar. The faintest trace of something his body recognized. The hairs on his arms and neck stood to attention.

“Stay vigilant.” He took a long, exaggerated breath trying to identify the scent, but there wasn’t enough to process. He grumbled under his breath. The last thing they wanted was trouble. “This has been too easy. I don’t like it.”

“What’s up, Captain? Got a sixth sense on trouble?”

“Don’t you smell it, Ace? Like we’ve been here before.”

“Got the heebie-jeebies, for sure. But this baby’s practically new.”

“And a bit too pretty for a freighter, wouldn’t you say?”

Ace shrugged, but Merrick wasn’t about to let down his guard. Captain Carlton and his late crew had already made that mistake. But Carlton had been at a disadvantage from the start. The youthful appearance and young voices belied the true age and experience of Merrick and his men. They were frequently underestimated.

“Merrick.” Cooper’s voice came over the comm, “She’s all clear, Captain. All crew accounted for.”

A smile quirked Merrick’s lips. No trouble after all. “Well done, Cooper. Head back to the Breaker and take the bridge. I’ll walk our new baby.”
“Any idea where we’re heading?”

“Depends on the cargo. Set a course for Deport Twelve for the moment. Keep an eye out for company.”

“Roger that.”

“Okay, lads. Take a corridor and let me know what you find.”

Merrick found the equipment store. It was a small office that branched out into racks of supplies and machinery. It was tidy and well organized, easy to find the inventory. Everything looked pristine. Merrick thought the Den-Freight could well be on her maiden voyage.

He made himself comfortable at the desk and methodically plodded through the catalogues, giving a whoop when he came across something that would fetch a good price. It felt good to fill his head with calculations, his time with work—anything to keep him from his own thoughts.

He paused to close his eyes and the memory slammed him in the face. Something about the place triggered it. It was almost tangible. Jessie laughing, holding a vidscreen over Cooper’s head making him jump for it. ‘Tell him to stop teasing, Merrick.’ They looked so young. Merrick smiled. A good memory.

Ace buzzed his comm and Merrick was startled out of his daydream. “Merrick, look at this.” A view of a second cargo hold came up on the vidscreen. Rows and rows of metal storage containers with small patches of light that looked like screens centered on the front panels lined the walls, casting an eerie green glow.

“Holy shit, is that what I think it is?” He sat forward too quickly, almost tipping the chair.

“Hell yes.”

Just what he needed. Unexpected company. He knew it’d been too easy. He tried to keep his voice even and pressed the comm at his ear. “Keen, we’re going to need you in cargo. Ace, send him directions.”

“On my way, Captain.”

Finding King (The Breaker #1) by Casey K. Cox is available for pre-order from http://www.lessthanthreepress.com
Find out more about my work on Goodreads.com and at http://caseykcox.blogspot.com
Or email me at caseyk_cox@yahoo.com

Thanks for stopping by, Casey! Dear readers, comment here for a chance to win a copy of Finding King. Giveaway closes April 2, 2013!

Talya Andor

Author of QUILTBAG fiction